The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,219, granted Aug. 31, 1999, is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
This invention relates to a coupon dispenser assembly for dispensing paper coupons or similar sheets of paper and especially to a coupon dispenser assembly suitable for outdoor use. Definition: as used in this description and the claims that follow, the term xe2x80x9ccouponxe2x80x9d for convenience refers broadly to a sheet of paper or paper-like material which is printed to serve ony one of a wide variety of different purposes, such as a redeemable coupon, an inquiry form or an informational sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,219, discloses a pop-up coupon dispenser having a coupon-filled box having a slot through which coupons may be removed from the box. Such boxes can be made from stiff paper or cardboard and are intended primarily for use inside a building, such as a supermarket. Various ways can be used to mount the dispensers on a wire rack, shelf or other location. A preferred mounting arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,219 includes a plastic cable tie which is extended through a pair of holes in the wall of the box opposite the slot through which the coupons are removed. A cable tie is easy to use and easy to sever to permit removal of the dispenser. The dispensers disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,219 are so inexpensive in addition to being easy to mount and remove that they are considered to be disposable.
There are occasions in which coupon dispensers can advantageously be used outdoors in areas that are not completely protected from dew or rain or other precipitation. For example, coupon dispensers could be used on the tops of gas pumps or on fast food drive through windows. Because disposable dispensers of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,219 have housings typically made from paper or cardboard and dispense paper coupons, they are not suitable for outdoor use.
An object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive coupon dispenser assembly suitable for outdoor use.
Another object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive coupon dispenser assembly suitable for outdoor use which utilizes a disposable component and a reusable component.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a reusable shroud for disposable coupon dispensers which protects the dispensers from dew or precipitation such as rain or snow.
A coupon dispenser assembly in accordance with this invention comprises a coupon dispenser and a water-proof protective shroud that protects the coupon dispenser from getting water soaked because of dew or other precipitation. (The term xe2x80x9cwater-proofxe2x80x9d is used herein to mean substantially water-impermeable.) The coupon dispenser is preferably inexpensive and disposable in the sense of the dispensers shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,219.
The dispenser and the shroud are preferably connected together by the mounting means by which the dispenser box can be mounted on a wire rack, shelf or other support. The preferred form of mounting means is a plastic cable tie that extends from the rear end of the dispenser box. When a cable tie is used, the shroud is provided with a rear panel that is apertured to permit one leg of the cable tie to be extended therethrough. Accordingly, when the dispenser box is connected to a support by the cable tie, the shroud will also be connected to the support. In a modification, the shroud is provided with an additional pair of apertures which may be used to attach suction cups to the shroud by which the shroud may be mounted on a flat surface. In use of the modification, the dispenser box is also connected to the shroud by means of the cable tie. Therefore, an empty dispenser box may be removed from the shroud by cutting the cable tie and then replaced by a fresh dispenser box.
Shrouds of this invention can take many different forms. The presently preferred shroud comprises a box-like structure having a self-supporting shape of a size to snugly receive the dispenser housing and to cover the top and sides of the dispenser housing. The preferred shroud is formed from thin-walled plastic panels including a top panel, a pair of side panels, a front panel and a rear panel. The front panel has an open window that provides access to the coupons in the dispenser. A brim or hood at the front end of the shroud extends forwardly, upwardly, and outwardly from the front panel to provide additional protection for the front wall of the dispenser and the coupons exposed therethrough. Because dispensers of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,219 usually have advertising material printed thereon, the shroud is preferably sufficiently transparent that the advertising material is clearly visible therethrough. Shrouds of this invention can be molded or fabricated in one piece from any suitable plastic material, such as a transparent polycarbonate material.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the drawings and the following description.